The Orville blends science fiction and science fact into a winning mix

Ars chats with writer/producer Andre Bormanis as the FOX series makes its S2 debut

The crew of the USS Orville stands ready for a new season of adventures in season 2 of <em>The Orville</em>.

Enlarge / The crew of the USS Orville stands ready for a new season of adventures in season 2 of The Orville. (credit: Fox Broadcasting)

The Orville, Seth MacFarlane's warm homage to the Star Trek franchise, delighted viewers with the interstellar adventures of the crew aboard the titular starship. As the series gears up for its season 2 premiere on Sunday night, Ars sat down with writer/producer and science advisor Andre Bormanis to talk about some of the science behind our favorite episodes in the first season.

(Some spoilers for season 1 below.)

The Orville had a rocky start, at least in terms of critical reception, garnering just a 19 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes when it debuted. Viewers begged to differ: they gave the freshman series a 91 percent favorable rating, won over by its skillful mix of humor and drama. That's a tough balance to pull off, but The Orville does so more often that not. This is a smart series that combines slapstick humor and witty dialogue with cutting edge science and the odd literary reference. (In one episode, the Orville visits a two-dimensional world, complete with an allusion to Edwin Abbot's satirical allegory, Flatland.)

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Without question, these are 2018’s best space books for kids

From Hidden Figures to Curiosity, we all can be awed by the great unknown.

Computers, they're just like us!

Enlarge / Computers, they're just like us! (credit: Cyrus Farivar)

Every time I take my kids to the library, I always gravitate toward the non-fiction section and, in particular, the space books. (Hey, it's a good primer for Star Trek!)

This year, there's been some amazing new children's books that I've loved reading and have read repeatedly in recent months.

Here are my four favorites, in no order:

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Elektroauto: Porsche Taycan soll ab 90.000 US-Dollar kosten

Ein US-Journalist hat bei der Vorbestellung des neuen Porsche Taycan einfach mal nach den verfügbaren Modellen und Preisen gefragt: Der Sportwagen und Tesla-Konkurrent soll in drei Ausführungen kommen und ab 90.000 US-Dollar kosten – plus Steuern. (Por…

Ein US-Journalist hat bei der Vorbestellung des neuen Porsche Taycan einfach mal nach den verfügbaren Modellen und Preisen gefragt: Der Sportwagen und Tesla-Konkurrent soll in drei Ausführungen kommen und ab 90.000 US-Dollar kosten - plus Steuern. (Porsche, Elektroauto)

Caltech scientists use DNA tiles to play tic-tac-toe at the nanoscale

Being able to switch out tiles could one day lead to reconfigurable nanomachines.

Courtesy Qian Lab/Caltech.

Scientists at Caltech have created the world's smallest game board for playing tic-tac-toe out of DNA strands. What's more, it's possible to swap hundreds of DNA strands in and out at once to reconfigure the nanostructure at will, making it possible in principle to build complicated nanomachines in different custom patterns. The scientists described their work in a December paper in Nature Communications.

Back in 2006, Caltech bioengineer Paul Rothemund figured out how to fold a long strand of DNA into simple shapes, demonstrating this "DNA origami" technique by producing a smiley face. All you need is a long strand of DNA, plus several shorter strands ("staples"). Combine them in a test tube, and the shorter strands pull various parts of the long strand together so that it folds over into any number of simple shapes. DNA origami was a huge advance for nanotechnology, but to really achieve its full potential, scientists needed to be able to create larger and more complex structures.

Last year, Rothemund's Caltech colleague Lulu Qian introduced a cheap means of getting DNA origami to assemble itself into large arrays. The best part: you could create custom patterns. The array was a bit like a blank canvas, and Qian demonstrated the power of her technique (dubbed "fractal assembly") by creating the world's smallest version of Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," visible only with atomic force microscopy.

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Sicherheit: Verfassungsschützer warnt vor Verschlüsselung bei 5G

Hamburgs Verfassungsschutzchef Torsten Voß sieht den 5G-Standard als Risiko für die Demokratie: Extremisten und Terroristen könnten die systemimmanente Verschlüsselung ausnutzen, der Staat sollte entsprechend eine Zugriffsmöglichkeit erhalten. (5G, Dat…

Hamburgs Verfassungsschutzchef Torsten Voß sieht den 5G-Standard als Risiko für die Demokratie: Extremisten und Terroristen könnten die systemimmanente Verschlüsselung ausnutzen, der Staat sollte entsprechend eine Zugriffsmöglichkeit erhalten. (5G, Datenschutz)

Android-Smartphone: Nokia 8.1 für 450 Euro vorbestellbar

Das neue Nokia 8.1 von HMD Global ist wie angekündigt ab Anfang 2019 in Deutschland erhältlich: Über den Amazon-Shop des finnischen Herstellers ist das Smartphone der gehobenen Mittelklasse vorbestellbar, ebenso das schwächer ausgestattete und günstige…

Das neue Nokia 8.1 von HMD Global ist wie angekündigt ab Anfang 2019 in Deutschland erhältlich: Über den Amazon-Shop des finnischen Herstellers ist das Smartphone der gehobenen Mittelklasse vorbestellbar, ebenso das schwächer ausgestattete und günstigere Nokia 3.1 Plus. (Nokia, Smartphone)

UK Police Arrest Man Over ‘Nintendo Switch’ Modding, Warn Game Pirates

City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) arrested an alleged Nintendo Switch modder this month. The man was suspected of infringing Nintendo’s copyrights but got off with a caution. At the same time, PIPCU warned those who are considering buying modded consoles or download pirated games.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.

As one of the most iconic game manufacturers in the world, Nintendo has been fighting piracy for many years.

Most action is taken by the company’s in-house anti-piracy division or through trade groups such as the ESA.

However, this month the City of London Police also offered a helping hand.

The dedicated Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) arrested a 43-year-old man at a residence in Lowestoft, accusing him of being a prominent ‘modder’ of Nintendo Switch consoles.

“PIPCU officers arrested and cautioned a 43 year old man at an address on Rotterdam Road, Lowestoft in relation to copyright offenses. Hard drives, microchips and computer equipment were seized at the same address,” PIPCU announced.

The police note that “modders” are criminals. However, in this case, the suspect was cautioned and no further action was taken.

According to PIPCU, piracy is not a victimless crime. Not only are the games companies impacted directly, but people who sell modded consoles are at risk as well.

Some games may not work on modded consoles, PIPCU warns, and downloading pirated files is a risky endeavor as well, since people may run into malware and viruses.

“If you’re looking to buy a Nintendo console as a Christmas gift, make sure you know who you are buying from, otherwise you could get more than you bargained for,” PIPCU’s Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt says.

“If you buy a gaming console that gives illegal access to pirated content, you could be exposed to malware and identity crime,” he adds, urging consumers to “Play safe” and “play fair.”

The announcement specifically mentions Christmas, which is a popular time of year for the video game industry. As such, Nintendo will be happy with the police assistance.

That said, Nintendo itself is also taking action against “modders.” Earlier this month the company filed a lawsuit against alleged sellers of modded consoles and pirated games in the US. This case remains pending.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.

ARD/ZDF: Länder-Widerstand gegen Erhöhung des Rundfunkbeitrags

Manche Kanäle müssten nicht auf alle Zeit linear im Fernsehen sein, meint ein SPD-Staatssekretär. Auch die CDU hält eine Diskussionen über einen höheren Rundfunkbeitrag aktuell für überflüssig und verfehlt. (Rundfunkbeitrag, Internet)

Manche Kanäle müssten nicht auf alle Zeit linear im Fernsehen sein, meint ein SPD-Staatssekretär. Auch die CDU hält eine Diskussionen über einen höheren Rundfunkbeitrag aktuell für überflüssig und verfehlt. (Rundfunkbeitrag, Internet)

Mobilfunk: CSU für staatliche Infrastruktur gegen Funklöcher

Die LTE-Versorgung in Deutschland ist im europäischen Vergleich schlecht. Die CSU wird Anfang Januar beschließen, dass eine neue staatliche Gesellschaft Mobilfunkmasten errichtet. (Mobilfunk, Telekom)

Die LTE-Versorgung in Deutschland ist im europäischen Vergleich schlecht. Die CSU wird Anfang Januar beschließen, dass eine neue staatliche Gesellschaft Mobilfunkmasten errichtet. (Mobilfunk, Telekom)

Essential Phone is essentially discontinued… but new “mobile product” is in the works

The Essential Phone was the first smartphone to ship with a notch in the display and it was the first phone from the startup created by Android founder Andy Rubin. It was also not exactly a huge success in the market, and the company’s had a bit …

The Essential Phone was the first smartphone to ship with a notch in the display and it was the first phone from the startup created by Android founder Andy Rubin. It was also not exactly a huge success in the market, and the company’s had a bit of a rough year… but that hasn’t stopped […]

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